Your semester in Alaska includes everything from forested coastlines to the snow and ice of the high mountain peaks to the tundra and rivers in between.

In the long days of the northern summer, you'll have plenty of time to learn about and travel through wild Alaska. Hiking takes you to the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and its greatest collection of peaks over 16,000 feet in elevation. The mountaineering section travels even further into this area, is an ideal training ground for learning to live and climb on snow and ice.

Finally, you will spend over three weeks sea kayaking in Prince William Sound.

Amidst all this activity, you can also expect an extensive environmental studies curriculum, giving you a unique perspective on some of the world's most stunning wilderness. After honing skills and leadership for 75 days at NOLS Alaska, you can be confident traveling in a variety of wilderness settings.

Dates

May 22 - August 04, 2017

June 02 - August 15, 2017

Skills Learned

Backpacking

There’s nothing quite like seeing the remote wilderness on your own two feet, carrying all your own gear on your back while gaining the tools necessary to become a great leader in the backcountry and at home.

Backpacking courses often hike three out of every four days. You’ll travel in small hiking groups so you have more opportunities to lead, make decisions, and map read as you move through beautiful wilderness. Hiking days begin early when you light your stove, cook and enjoy breakfast, and then organize and pack your pack.

You’re usually hiking by mid-morning. Lunch on the trail might be bread you baked the day before, or a trail mix of nuts and dried fruits. You may stop for a short class on natural history, or to learn how to cross a river, travel through boulders or snow, or move over a high pass. When you arrive at your new camp location, you'll first spend time choosing a Leave No Trace site and organizing camp, then you’ll prepare a well-deserved dinner. If the day was long, a short evening meeting may wrap up the day. If the hike was short, there may be a class or discussion.

Mountaineering

Mountaineering at NOLS features glacier travel, pristine alpine lakes, astounding views and the teamwork and technical skills you need to get to the highest points in the world.

Sea Kayaking

NOLS sea kayak courses travel to some of the world's greatest locations for ocean paddling, from Alaska's famous Prince William Sound and the unique coastal desert ecosystem of Mexico's Gulf of California to the remote fjords of Patagonian Chile. You'll practice basic and advanced strokes and rescue techniques while traveling in a variety of water conditions.

Location

NOLS Alaska

The boundlessness of the place will grab you first, for there is nowhere as far-flung as Alaska. It will alter your concept of space.

Glaciers calve into the sea, Arctic tundra stretches beyond the horizon, rugged and expansive mountains reach into the sky, wildlife is abundant, and humans are scarce.

The Land of the Midnight Sun has a whopping 238 million acres of public land. The around-the-clock daylight of summer, the vast geographic distance from the Lower 48, and the variety of cultures set it apart. From our state-of-the-art headquarters in the historic Matanuska Valley outside Palmer to one of our operations bases in Fairbanks or Petersburg, we’ll outfit you with everything you need for an expedition into the wild.

No other organization offers the breadth of opportunities in Alaska that NOLS does, from the Arctic Circle to the Southcentral coastal ranges to the Southeast archipelagos.

Backpacking, sea kayaking, or mountaineering: no matter how you choose to explore Alaska, you’ll learn with NOLS all you need to know about living and traveling in this vast wilderness.